ICEless in Seattle : Official Pacific NorthWest thread

[DrPowell]

Barely made this route today. I was driving on ECO with heater on and 62 mph had 2 people with me. A bit disappointed because it's way below rated mileage.

What does "barely made this route" mean? Did you get to low, very low, or turtle?

How hilly was the route?

Someone more experienced, like evnow, should chime in on this, but ~48 miles to a low warning is almost exactly what I would have predicted for an 80% SoC with the heater on. The extra weight in the car and higher driving speed might shave a bit off of that, though, so as always YMMV.

What was the car reporting for miles/kWh during the trip? Less than 4.25?

 

[evnow]

Barely made this route today. I was driving on ECO with heater on and 62 mph had 2 people with me. A bit disappointed because it's way below rated mileage.

You are either not giving us the full picture or something wrong with your car. I've made longer trips with little difficulty and plenty of charge left.

ps : If you charge to only 80%, don't expect more than 55 miles esp. with heater on at freeway speeds.

 

[DaveEV]

Barely made this route today. I was driving on ECO with heater on and 62 mph had 2 people with me. A bit disappointed because it's way below rated mileage.

How much power was the heater drawing according to the console?

80% charge will get you ~73 miles max before you drain it in optimal conditions (no heat) at 62 mph.

So the fact that you drove 48 miles with the heat on from an 80% charge and got to your destination with 2 bars remaining (if I understand your posts correctly) sounds just about right.

 

[scharlj]

Hopefully my car WILL ship on Monday and you and I should see it in 2.5 weeks....Cross my fingers

Did you get the 'delivery soon' email? I received that Thurs. morning and a poster said that means it was loaded onto a train/truck. So my LEAF that is headed for Portland/Seattle should have left sometime Thurs. or Fri. morning.

No I did not. All I got on Thursday is a DB update email. First of those I had ever gotten. It did say "you are getting closer to taking delivery". So I am not sure if this is the email you got. If not, then maybe my car missed yet another train? That would totally suck!. I am still strongly hoping that Monday is the shipping day for me, although it would be even better if it had left already!

 

[IBELEAF]

Here is complete route details. ECO/heater on entire trip. Heater was drawing on average 1.5-2 kWh My average economy was showing 3.8, but I did not reset it for a while, so I am not sure if it's showing correctly.

10 bars remaining
Morning commute 10 miles from Fin Hill to downtown Bellevue
8 bars remaining
Ran a few short errands for 3 miles
7 bars remaining
Charged to 80% again at L2 station
10 bars remaining
Drove from downtown Bellevue to Lynnwood with 2 people on board for 21 miles (speed 62 mph)
6 bars remaining
Car wasn't used for couple hours
5 bars remaining
Drove back to Finn Hill with 1 person on board 14 miles (speed 65 mph)
2 bars remaining with 18 miles estimated range left

I think you are right, I would pretty much get 55 miles out of this scenario but with 100% charge. The commute to Lynnwood on 405 is very battery hungry, there is a long stretch of going up the hill at freeway speeds. I do similar commutes from Finn Hill to Lynnwood weekly and I loose 4 bars in that 14 mile trip (ECO, 2 people, CC on, 60-65 mph) and hence my feeling that I would not make on 7 bars from Bellevue to Lynnwood to Bothell. I'd love someone to try similar route and tell me about their experience, but something tells me it's not unusual.

4 bars eater commute:

 

[IBELEAF]

Well this might explain it... there is 500 feet elevation while driving on a freeway to Lynnwood:

Source:
http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2010/03/aint-no-mountain-high-enough.html

 

[bdgotoh]

I commute south to downtown Seattle in the morning and north at night. I use very little range on the way in and a bunch climbing uphill most of the way home.

 

[jlambeth]

I haven't been on here in awhile ... and did look back a few pages without finding an answer.

- My delivery date still says "week of May 6th".
- Yesterday:
+ did the live chat thing, they told me it was in Long Beach, getting the various accessories installed (?!) (Mud flaps are the only thing on my list that might require an install)
+ talked to dealer - he said it's in Long Beach getting upgraded (seems more likely).

- Today: phone message from Nissan support with "delivery information". No details, and they're closed now.

I haven't gotten the fabled delivery email. What do you suppose they are going to tell me when I call back tomorrow? "It's on the train?"

Just curious. I'm in my Zen happy place - otherwise I'd have imploded months ago.

 

[uwskier20]

Just curious. I'm in my Zen happy place - otherwise I'd have imploded months ago.

Wednesday night I went from week of 5/5 to 6/3. I suffered a "mini-implosion" and fired off an e-mail to CS. They wrote back and said it will be shipped 5/16 and delivered no later than 5/31. A lot of other folks got the same 5/16 shipping promise. We can only hope!

 

[DaveL]

Wednesday night I went from week of 5/5 to 6/3. I suffered a "mini-implosion" and fired off an e-mail to CS. They wrote back and said it will be shipped 5/16 and delivered no later than 5/31. A lot of other folks got the same 5/16 shipping promise. We can only hope!

Well at least your delivery date changed. Mine has been stuck at 4/29 for the past 6 weeks. No email except from the PD who said that my car would NOT be delivered by the end of April but didn't have any further info.

Guess it's time for me to start rattling the cages!

 

[jlambeth]

I haven't been on here in awhile ... and did look back a few pages without finding an answer.

- My delivery date still says "week of May 6th".
- Yesterday:
+ did the live chat thing, they told me it was in Long Beach, getting the various accessories installed (?!) (Mud flaps are the only thing on my list that might require an install)
+ talked to dealer - he said it's in Long Beach getting upgraded (seems more likely).

- Today: phone message from Nissan support with "delivery information". No details, and they're closed now.

I haven't gotten the fabled delivery email. What do you suppose they are going to tell me when I call back tomorrow? "It's on the train?"

Just curious. I'm in my Zen happy place - otherwise I'd have imploded months ago.

If anyone's curious - the call was really to explain the delay (not sure I really understood - or cared) - and let me know it will be put on a train north the first opportunity starting 5/16 (Monday). I'm guessing that all translates to "week of May 27th" in Nissan speak. At least it seems real this time.

 

[Packet]

So, I have a random question for other Seattle-area sorts.

I live right just south of North Seattle Community College, within walking distance of Northgate (which means also walking distance of the Northgate Transit Center, and the upcoming North Link Rail station). This puts me right smack in a nicely walkable area for anything held at NSCC (as well as right by Evergreen Hospital's outpatient center), as well as the Thornton Place and Northgate shopping areas. I also work for a small software company, small enough that we all keep home offices rather than a central one. As such, I'm generally here. (And thus reachable if someone desperate were to go 'can you spare some wattage, help a brother out?')

So I'm considering that my house might make a useful spot to set up for charge-sharing and add to PlugShare!

However, I was planning to put the L2 charger inside my garage rather than outside. (Worse, if I did put it outside, it would block the ability to go into the garage while anything was parked there.) As such, I'm considering the feasibility of putting a second charger out near the end of the driveway.

But I'm totally at a loss on how to best handle this. I live in an area with no sidewalks; the 'shoulder' that people park on is technically in my yard and on my property. I'd think I could run a line out there, put in a charger and an "Electric Vehicle Parking Only" type sign, and call it good. However, I have thus far been unable to figure out who the heck I would need to talk to about okaying this! Everyone I've spoken to about the possibility has scratched their heads and made confused noises. I'd throw in the towel and run an extension cord across the yard from the house, but that just seems like trouble waiting to happen.

(I need to run power out to the end of the yard /anyway/, because with no streetlights at that end of the property, there really needs to be some lighting at the end of my driveway anyway to avoid unfortunate mailbox-and-car related incidents. We've only had near misses thus far when people come to visit, but it's a matter of time; the mailbox post is already crooked, suggesting that the previous owner of the house was less lucky. And the little battery-powered solar lights aren't proving sufficient on their own.)

Any thoughts, advice, remarks that I'm crazy and should forget the idea, etc. would be appreciated.

 

[evnow]

So I'm considering that my house might make a useful spot to set up for charge-sharing and add to PlugShare!

Very Nice !

You could start by contacting an electrician. He should be able pull the permit and install the EVSE. I guess, the "EVs only" sign is tricky - even though if you put it on your land, city can't really object.

 

[davewill]

I live right just south of North Seattle Community College...So I'm considering that my house might make a useful spot to set up for charge-sharing and add to PlugShare!
....Any thoughts, advice, remarks that I'm crazy and should forget the idea, etc. would be appreciated.

Ok, you're crazy...seriously crazy. But it you have your heart set on this, I guess I'd go right ahead and apply for a permit to install it. The application usually isn't expensive, although you'll probably need an electrician to help. The problem with calling around is that it's too easy to pass the buck. This way a planner is forced read your plan and either approve it or tell you why you can't do it that way.

 

[DarkStar]

Hmm... I would draft up your plan and take it to your local permitting office to see what they think. Some different rules might apply if your running any electrical through the public right-of-way...

 

[davewill]

Another thought. You might try contacting the EV Project (Blink), or ChargePoint. They might actually consider installing a commercial unit if your location is interesting to them.

 

[Rake]

It's a nice idea, and extremely generous of you... however... I would weigh the liability aspects, the possibility of vandalism with the EVSE next to the street, and how much it would actually get used. I'm on plugshare as well, but with my charger being in my garage too I require advance notice to access it. I have plenty of cord that I could leave the J connector outside, yet shut my garage door enough to prevent entry. My EVSE is set to "charge at plug-in", so I think this would work for me.

 

[Packet]

It's a nice idea, and extremely generous of you... however... I would weigh the liability aspects, the possibility of vandalism with the EVSE next to the street, and how much it would actually get used. I'm on plugshare as well, but with my charger being in my garage too I require advance notice to access it. I have plenty of cord that I could leave the J connector outside, yet shut my garage door enough to prevent entry. My EVSE is set to "charge at plug-in", so I think this would work for me.

Well, the issue is that the garage is behind the house. Either you have to park beside the garage (blocking anything in the garage inside it), or park in the driveway (thus blocking anything in the garage or in the parking strip behind the house from leaving). Putting it out front on the shoulder would mean that my housemates would not be pinned in by someone charging.

I admit, I wouldn't really consider this if I wasn't already looking to run power out to the edge of the yard to provide safety lighting.

 

[SeattleBlueLeaf]

one thought though is that Northgate is a site that should get plenty of Ecotality public chargers here shortly so the plug share is less needed here than in remote locations. NG is supposed to get a level three too from what I have seen. Not holding my breath on seeing those delivered anytime soon though.

 

[Packet]

one thought though is that Northgate is a site that should get plenty of Ecotality public chargers here shortly so the plug share is less needed here than in remote locations. NG is supposed to get a level three too from what I have seen. Not holding my breath on seeing those delivered anytime soon though.

True, I've heard that they are planning to install Ecotality chargers in the Northgate parking structure (and there's a rumor they might go in at the Park & Ride, too). However, based on what others have said about Ecotality's installation record, I'm not expecting to see those before 2013.

But you raise a valid point that a permanent charger might be silly since, at SOME point, there will be charging infrastructure just across the overpass. Maybe would be better to just put a weatherproof socket on the fence when the power gets run out there for driveway lighting, and call it good. Then anyone who needs to charge to could plug in a level 1 charger if they asked.

(I admit I might have had ulterior motives on the EV Only sign, however. There's someone who visits one of my neighbors, and who routinely parks their giant Ford pickup truck right there around 10pm until like 4pm the next day, blocking my mailbox. It's gotten to the point that the mailman doesn't bother to deliver my mail when the truck is there. Grr!)